The present invention relates generally to the field of reducing errors associated with administering injectable medications, and more particularly, to medication specific syringes calibrated based on patient characteristics such as body weight and/or body surface area, as well as volumetrically calibrated medicinal injection kits including one or more of volumetrically calibrated medication/patient specific syringes, volumetrically calibrated diluent syringes and medications.
Medical Administered Errors (“MAEs”) account for more deaths annually than motor vehicle accidents, breast cancer and AIDS. Studies indicate that most MAEs are attributed to administering injectable medications, with errors including administering incorrect dosages, administering the wrong medication, and administering along the wrong route. Other studies indicate that MAEs injure approximately 1.3 million people, and account for nearly 100,000 deaths, annually in the U.S. alone. Children are the most susceptible to harm due to their lower body mass, making them more sensitive to overdoses or underdoses that can result in adverse reactions, ineffective treatment, illness and even death.
Other studies indicate that MAEs occur in approximately one out of every five doses given in hospitals and that, on average, a hospital patient is subject to at least one medication error per day, with considerable variation in error rates across facilities. MAEs are attributable in large part to poor communication, misinterpreted handwriting, drug name confusion, drug strength, inaccurate dosage calculations, confusing medication labeling and packaging, lack of clinical knowledge, lack of patient understanding of drug directions, dilution procedures, fast paced and high stress environments, long working hours and fatigue, emergency procedures, etc. The financial impact to the U.S. healthcare industry as a result of MAEs is estimated to exceed $100 billion annually.
Accordingly, what is needed are apparatus and methods for significantly reducing the number of MAEs attributable to administering injectable medication.